Odd One Out — Burpee Count | Friends

Quick Intro

Odd One Out is a burpee game for a small group. Everyone does burpees for the same fixed time, often 60 seconds, and counts their own clean reps. When the time is up, the group works out the average count. The person whose count is furthest from that average is the odd one out for the round and takes a light-hearted stake. Everyone else wins.

The twist is that the most reps does not win. A very fit person who goes flat out is as likely to be the odd one out as someone who coasts. The skill is reading the group and pacing to land near the middle.

How to do a burpee well, from the squat down to the floor through the jump at the top, is taught at Burpees. This guide covers the game: counting, working out the average, keeping reports honest and choosing a pace.

What You’ll Need

A group of three to five people. Two is not enough, since with two people both are always the same distance from the average.
Floor space for everyone to drop to the floor and jump without touching anyone, about two metres each.
A timer everyone can hear.
A phone or paper to note the counts.

How to Play

Agree the time cap, the rep standard and the stake for the odd one out before anyone starts.
Spread out so nobody is within reach of anyone else.
Start the timer. On “go”, everyone does burpees at the pace they think will land near the group’s average.
Keep moving for the whole time. Each person counts their own reps.
On the final beep, stop and say your counts out loud, one at a time.
Add the counts and divide by the number of players. That number is the average.
Whoever is furthest from the average, above or below, is the odd one out.
Rest two or three minutes, then play the next round.

A quick example: five friends report 12, 14, 15, 15 and 21. The total is 77, so the average is about 15.4. The player with 21 is 5.6 away, further than anyone else, and is the odd one out.

What Counts

Agree one rep standard for everyone:

Chest and thighs reach the floor, or, for anyone doing the version where the chest stays off the floor, the hands reach the floor and the feet jump back to a plank, agreed beforehand.
Feet jump back in under the hips before standing.
A full stand and a small jump at the top, hands overhead.

A rep that misses part of the standard does not count. Everyone counts the same way, so the average stays meaningful.

Honest Counting

The game only works if everyone tells the truth. Once you know the others’ numbers, there is a temptation to nudge your own count toward the middle. To avoid it, each player writes their count down or says it before hearing anyone else’s. One simple way: everyone holds up fingers or types the number into their phone, and all reveal together.

The second rule is to keep moving. Stopping for twenty seconds to “save” reps for the average turns the game into standing still. Everyone works for the full time cap at some steady pace, even if it is a slow one.

Reading the Group

This is where the fun lies. In the first round, nobody knows where the average will land, so most people aim for a comfortable middle pace. After a round or two, patterns appear. The fittest player may hold back; the player who was furthest below may push harder. Since everyone adjusts at once, the average moves, and last round’s safe pace can become this round’s odd one out.

There is no handicap, because the target is the group’s own average. A fitter person is not favoured, since their job is to match the group, not beat it.

Staying Safe

Space between players. Burpees use the full floor, and arms go overhead on the jump.
Watch the landings across the group. The game runs for several rounds of a tiring exercise, and as fatigue builds, landings get heavy. Anyone whose landing turns stiff or whose back sags in the drop should slow down.
Pick a fair time cap. Sixty seconds is plenty for most groups. Long rounds make the game about endurance, which is not the point.
Keep the stake light. Ten extra squats or picking the next song is plenty.

Common Mistakes

Going flat out. It feels natural in a burpee contest, and it usually makes you the odd one out.
Half reps to keep the count up. They do not count, and they make the average dishonest for everyone.
Hearing the others first. Reveal counts together.
Playing with two people. The average sits exactly between you, so you always tie.

Fitting It Into a Session

Odd One Out suits the middle or end of a group session as a lively conditioning block. Three to five rounds is enough. Because each player can choose their own pace, it works for a mixed group where a straight burpee race would be one-sided. For placing it among other games, see Building a Partner Session.

Getting Better Over Time

Note each round’s counts and the average. Over a few sessions the group’s average will rise as everyone gets fitter, which is a fair measure of the group’s progress. Individuals can also track how close they land to the average, which is a real test of pacing and self-awareness.

Burpee Add-One Ladder builds burpees one rep at a time.
Rep Bet and Gamble Games have each player bet on their own count.
Work-Rest Relay shares burpee reps between partners with no winner.
Burpee Tag turns burpees into a chase.

FAQ

What if two players are equally far from the average?

They share the odd-one-out spot for that round, or play a single tiebreaker round between the two of them with the other players’ average kept fixed.

Can we use a different exercise?

The same idea works for squats or jumping jacks. Burpees suit it well because the pace varies so much between people.

How many people is best?

Three to five. With more, the average barely moves when one person changes their pace, and the game loses some of its edge.